A Sneaky One

We've got a sneaky child. Last night after I thought all the kids were fast asleep, I heard the little pitter-patter of footsteps coming toward our room. One of our children apparently had something very important to tell me, but as he/she was speaking, I noticed that his/her teeth and tongue were bright pink. I asked what he/she had been eating and said it was no use lying about it, since it was obvious they had been into something. A sheepish confession followed--sprinkles. I didn't have the energy to do anything about it, so I just told the child to get back into bed and go to sleep. Then the thought occurred to Chris, "Are the sprinkles in his/her bed?" This child is known to hide and store items in his/her bed that should not be there. So Chris jumped up to see if our fears were valid, and sure enough, he found this bottle of red sugar sprinkles in the kid's bed. The remaining sprinkles in the bottle are wet since this child was literally drinking them straight from the bottle. Who knows how long they have been in the bed, and what else is hiding there?

Christmas in September

Call me crazy, but I usually begin listening to Christmas music well before Christmastime--typically starting in October. (Hey, I've already seen Christmas products in the stores--if it's not too early for Christmas shopping, then it can't be too early for the sounds of Christmas, right?!) I just love, love, love Christmas music! Well, this year is no exception, and as I was choosing some music to listen to while preparing for church this morning, I thought, why not? So don't be surprised if you hear the sounds of Christmas coming from our home. I am really looking forward to enjoying my Christmas music for the next few months!

Pictured are my all-time favorite Christmas albums:

• "Sing, Choirs of Angels!" by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• "O Holy Night" by Jenny Oaks Baker
• "Noel" by Josh Groban
• "The #1 Christmas Album" by various artists
• "Traditional Christmas" Volume 1 by various artists

This music should be playing year-round if you ask me!

Making Room for One More

We are fortunate to have teamed up with friends for a carpool to school. I get the morning duty, and in our seven-passenger van, each seat is occupied. When we park at the school and get out, we look somewhat like one of those clown cars with kid after kid pouring out. We get plenty of looks and comments. Here's this very pregnant lady showing up at school with six kids--I guess it's not something people around here see every day (unless they're watching us, of course). Well, now the kids in the van get to move over and make room for one more--Josh's cello. In fourth grade music, the kids get to choose from one of three string instruments or a vocal class. Josh chose the cello. We are excited that he's excited about learning how to play an instrument, and we are fully supportive of his choice. So we'll gladly move over and make room.

Trophy Day

This is the day Seth has been eagerly awaiting for a year now. His trophy day at gymnastics finally came. The kids get a trophy at their one-year anniversary and each year thereafter. So these awards are for sticking it out, which is a great way to do it if you ask me. Seth loves gymnastics and does well. We've been really happy with the gym he goes to, and I hope he'll stick it out for another year. Great job Seth!

More Ovaltine Please

I don't have my camera, so you'll have to use your imagination to picture what a near-full warehouse-size can of Ovaltine powder looks like when spilled on the floor. We don't have to use our imaginations--we saw the real thing tonight. There was plenty of crying over this, but the real crying over spilled milk didn't come until a few minutes later when the same child knocked over their cup of chocolate milk (after my warnings to be careful since this particular child was repeatedly swinging their hand in the air above their cup) and was super upset that we had no Ovaltine left to replace it. I thought I'd cleaned up mess #1 okay, but then stepped in a little water while getting one of the kids in the shower and left a chocolate footprint. Just another day . . . .

Our Guest

Yesterday a guest arrived at our home. Meet Shelby, a baby tortoise who will be staying with us for a few days while her owner is out of town. As a serious anti-pet person (I know, I'm mean and I'm depriving my kids--it's just not my thing), a person who has never EVER taken care of any kind of animal before, a person who prefers to look and not touch, you can imagine that this pet-sitting is quite a stretch for me. But I couldn't say no to my friend, and this promises to be the easiest pet to take care of, so here we are. Since my kids have surprised me by their enthusiasm for Shelby, they are taking care of her (under my direction and supervision), and I haven't even had to touch her yet. Our atrium makes the perfect guest quarters for her, and we can watch her through the glass when she's not hiding in the plants. The kids have really enjoyed having Shelby here, and I must admit, I haven't minded it either since this is a short-term stay. Although I highly doubt we will ever have any kind of pet of our own, this serves as a nice substitute and beats our usual substitutes--those trips to the zoo and pet store to look (and not touch).

Who needs TV?

We're ready . . .

. . . for the first day of school tomorrow! The school supplies and backpacks are ready, the lunches are mostly made, the clothes are out, the kids are in bed. Wouldn't it be great if we could be so prepared every school night? We'll see how long that lasts! Josh is going into 4th grade, and Seth is a big 1st grader! We went down to the school earlier this evening to see who their teachers are and to find their classrooms. Annie is feeling left out and wants to go with Seth--we'll see how she holds up tomorrow without her big brothers around. I love this time of year and can't wait to get settled into our new school routine. And to be honest, I'm really looking forward to doing errands with two fewer children. Hooray for school!

(Sorry this picture isn't so great--these are most of the boys' school supplies. The six reams of paper are hidden in the back. Can't wait to lug those to school in the morning!)